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Preparing Your Farm for Impacts of COVID-19

What is COVID-19? Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (official name: SARS-CoV-2) that was identified in 2019. This virus is responsible for the respiratory disease outbreak that began in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and quickly circulated around...

Crop insurance

Urban Ag home | Table of contents Crop insurance protects against either the loss of crops due to natural disasters or the loss of revenue due to declines in the prices of agricultural commodities. It is federally supported and is sold and serviced by certain approved private-sector crop insurance...

State food safety laws

Urban Ag home | Table of contents States share regulatory authority with the federal government in many areas, but states enjoy complete jurisdiction over farmers markets and other types of direct farm sales, retail sales, restaurants, and many types of small-scale agricultural production and...

Federal food safety laws

Urban Ag home | Table of contents In general, federal regulations apply to all foods that are sold in interstate commerce (meaning across state borders) or foreign commerce, and states have the power to regulate most foods that are only sold intrastate (see “What’s federalism got to do with it?”...

Urban livestock

Urban Ag home | Table of contents Figure 12: Urban agriculture can successfully integrate small livestock, such as rabbits or miniature goats. Photo by Edwin Remsberg, © University of Maryland—AGNR Image Library The types of livestock raised in urban areas are constrained by both space and local...

Looking for a lawyer or insurance agent? Here are two lists that can help you find one who understands farms.

Looking for a lawyer or insurance agent? Here are two lists that can help you find one who understands farms. Neith Little Urban Agriculture Extension Agent, University of Maryland First, read enough to know what questions to ask. The UMD Agriculture Law Education Initiative is a great place to...

Learn more about livestock suited to urban production

Article by Neith Little, UMD Extension Agent, Urban Agriculture, Baltimore City Dec 4, 2018 Photo by Edwin Remsberg, © University of Maryland--AGNR Image Library. The types of livestock raised in urban areas are constrained by both space and local regulations. Some municipalities allow the keeping...

Supplemental Coverage Option Expanding as Part of the Farm Safety Net

Photo by Edwin Remsberg The 2014 Farm Bill created Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), a new add-on crop insurance option which provides supplemental coverage on a producer’s underlying crop insurance policy. SCO operates by mimicking a producer’s individual crop insurance coverage and covering a...

Crop Insurance For Maryland Field Crops And Livestock

Image by Edwin Remsberg Multi-peril crop insurance is a valuable risk management tool which allows you to insure against losses on your farm due to adverse weather conditions, price fluctuations, and unavoidable pests and diseases. It shifts unavoidable production risks to an insurance company for...

Federal Crop Insurance Program Expands in 2016 and 2017 to Cover More Organic Crops

Photo by Edwin Remsberg O rganic agriculture represents one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture (USDA-RMA). With this in mind, the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) continues to expand crop insurance options for organic growers. In 2016 and 2017, organic producers in Maryland will...

How to Handle Crop Insurance Proceeds and Farm Program Payments on Your Taxes

Photo by Edwin Remsberg This post should not be construed as tax advice Tax season is upon us and hopefully you have taken all your documents to your accountant. In 2015, some of you may have received an Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) County payment or a Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payment,...

Poultry Growers Will Have to Wait a Little Longer for Crop Insurance Coverage

Photo By Edwin Remsberg Early in January, poultry growers got bad news that high pathogen avian influenza (HPAI) was back again this time in a turkey flock in Indiana. This brings back concerns that HPAI could hit the Delmarva area later this year. With poultry growers once again concerned about...

2014 Farm Bill Makes Changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program

The Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) was established in 1994 and administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). NAP is a risk management tool for those producers growing crops not currently covered by a crop insurance product. NAP now offers coverage from the 50-percent level to...

Best Practices for Animal Quarantine

Quarantining new and sick animals is a practice that most livestock producers are familiar with. With the spreading avian flu predicted to reach Maryland in the coming months, it’s also something that’s been on the forefront of my mind recently. We all know that quarantine is important in reducing...

Updated: Quick Look at Yield Exclusion Option in 2014 Farm Bill

Photo by Edwin Remsberg Recently USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced eligible years for barley and wheat for Yield Exclusion (YE). YE allows producers to exclude specific yields from eligible years from their actual production histories (APH). This exclusion can have an impact on...

Quick Look at Yield Exclusion Option in 2014 Farm Bill

Photo by Edwin Remsberg, MDA One new option for crop insurance in the 2014 Farm Bill is Yield Exclusion (YE). YE allows for producers to exclude specific yields from eligible years from their actual production histories (APH). This exclusion can have an impact on producers’ APHs and crop insurance...

New Beginning Producer Crop Insurance Benefits From 2014 Farm Bill

Photo by Edwin Remsberg, MDA I have previously highlighted the beginning farmer benefits in the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP); see 2014 Farm Bill Makes Changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program . But the 2014 Farm Bill also contains new beginning producer...

New Crop Insurance Option for Diversified Operations: Whole Farm Revenue Protection

The 2014 Farm Bill authorized USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) to develop a new type of revenue insurance product, Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP). WFRP provides a risk management tool for all commodities on farms with up to $8.5 million in insured revenue. WFRP is not intended for one...

Let's Look at the Farmers’ Rights Act

Photo by Edwin Remsberg T his post should not constitute legal advice or lobbying for or against this piece of legislation. The purpose of this post is to review the possible implications of proposed legislation. Recently, the Maryland General Assembly’s House of Delegates and Senate both...

New Crop Insurance Option for Diversified Operations: Whole Farm Revenue Protection

Photo by Edwin Remsberg The 2014 Farm Bill authorized USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) to develop a new type of revenue insurance product, Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP). WFRP provides a risk management tool for all commodities on farms with up to $8.5 million in insured revenue. WFRP is...

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